Reps probe exclusion of 5,000 NOUN graduates from law school

The House of Representatives has commenced moves to resolve the prolonged exclusion of law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria from admission into the Nigerian Law School for Bar training and examinations. The move followed a petition by more than 5,000 affected graduates under the aegis of the “Backlog of Law Graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria,” who urged the House to intervene in the dispute which has left them unable to proceed to the Nigerian Law School and qualify for Call to Bar. The House Committee on Public Petitions, which took up the matter, invited NOUN and the Nigerian Law School, under the Council of Legal Education (CLE), to explain the circumstances surrounding the prolonged impasse. However, neither institution appeared before the Committee at its investigative hearing on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. NOUN submitted a letter explaining the absence of its Vice-Chancellor, while the Nigerian Law School also wrote to the Committee, citing official engagements and requesting alternative dates for their appearance. The petitioners, represented by officials of their association, told the Committee that they had completed their LLB programmes and should not be made victims of disagreements between government institutions. Speaking with journalists after the hearing, the association’s Public Relations Officer, Chibueze Obochi, said the affected graduates had exhausted other avenues for resolving the matter before approaching the National Assembly. Obochi cited Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides for equal educational opportunities, arguing that the graduates should not bear the consequences of disagreements between NOUN and the regulatory authorities. “This is our position: tothat we should not be made victims of inter-agency rivalries. We were not part of any agreements or disagreements between NOUN and CLE and Nigerian Law School. We are Nigerian citizens and we are innocent of whatever that must have transpired,” he said. Obochi also questioned the interpretation of a list of 1,883 NOUN law graduates submitted to the relevant authorities in 2019, arguing that the description of the figure as graduates produced “so far” did not mean it represented the university’s entire eventual output. “Every lawyer, even a layman, understands the express statement when you say ‘so far’. That means it opens a window to some persons left behind,” he said.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google He argued that the suspension of admissions into the programme in 2015 did not invalidate the status of students who had already been admitted. “As of 2015, when the National Open University was advised to stop admission, we had already started the programme. And every reasonable person knows that when you stop admission, it does not mean that you have chased away those who are already studying,” he said. According to Obochi, the affected graduates had matriculation numbers and other documents establishing when they were admitted into the university. “We are of the opinion that justice and fairness shall prevail over this matter. And what was done to our seniors should also be extended to us. So, as we stated earlier, we have done LLB and we are proud of the programme we did and the certification thereupon,” he added. NOUN, in its earlier submission to the Committee, welcomed the intervention of the House and said it appreciated the efforts to find what it described as an equitable and lasting resolution to the dispute. The university traced the dispute to 2015, when an accreditation team from the National Universities Commission (NUC), led by Prof. Nsongurua Udombana, visited the institution as part of the accreditation process for its LLB programme. According to NOUN, while it was awaiting the outcome of the accreditation exercise, the CLE published its position rejecting the admission of NOUN law graduates into the Nigerian Law School. The university said it subsequently suspended further admission into the LLB programme in 2015 and had not admitted new students into the programme since then. Ex-Reps deputy speaker lauds Wike over Rivers devt Nigeria needs risk-sharing fund for primary healthcare investment – Reps FRSC dismisses claim of giving lawmaker recruitment slots NOUN said the decision was intended to prevent the number of affected students from increasing while the regulatory issues surrounding the programme remained unresolved. The university further stated that between 2015 and 2019, its management held discussions with the CLE and other relevant stakeholders in an effort to resolve the eligibility of its graduates for admission into the Nigerian Law School. In 2019, NOUN said it formally appealed to the CLE for the admission of its law graduates and submitted a list containing 1,883 graduates. It later discovered that 90 graduates had inadvertently been left out of the list, bringing the actual number at the time to 1,973. According to the university, the Body of Benchers subsequently considered the matter in 2020 and approved a Special Remedial Programme for NOUN law graduates instead of direct admission into Bar Part II, the route applicable to graduates of other Nigerian universities. NOUN said it submitted another batch of 2,226 law graduates who had completed their studies between 2019 and May 2022 for consideration for admission into the Nigerian Law School. The university said the CLE rejected the subsequent submission, citing, among other reasons, an alleged understanding that the 2019 list represented the total number of NOUN law graduates and an allegation that the university continued admitting students into the LLB programme after 2015. NOUN rejected the allegation, insisting that it stopped admitting students into the programme in 2015 and did not resume admissions thereafter. It explained that the graduates included in the later submission were students admitted before the 2015 suspension who completed their programmes at different times. The Nigerian Law School, on its part, also failed to appear before the Committee. In a letter signed by its Director-General, Dr. Olugbemisola Odusote, the institution acknowledged the Committee’s invitation for the September 16 hearing but said it could not attend because of an official assignment requiring the participation of relevant officials. The Law School expressed regret over its inability to attend and requested that another date be communicated to it. It also assured the Committee of its willingness to cooperate with the investigation and appear at a rescheduled hearing. The petition was laid before the House on July 21, 2026, by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Akin Rotimi. Rotimi subsequently expressed his commitment to ensuring that the grievances of the affected graduates were addressed. He stressed the need for a fair and lasting resolution, arguing that graduates who had completed their academic programmes should not remain in prolonged uncertainty over their eligibility for professional legal training. He assured the affected graduates that he would support efforts to resolve the issues surrounding their admission into the Nigerian Law School and ensure that their concerns received the attention of the relevant authorities. The dispute centres largely on the regulatory status of NOUN’s LLB programme and the eligibility of its graduates for professional legal training. While NOUN maintains that it stopped admitting students in 2015 and that subsequent graduates were students admitted before the suspension, the CLE’s position, as presented in NOUN’s submission to the Committee, includes the contention that the 2019 list was understood to represent the university’s total number of law graduates and that admissions continued after 2015. Abdulrahman Zakariyau Abdulrahman is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with nearly a decade of professional experience covering political parties, elections, religion, civil society organizations, and the Nigeria Governors Forum. He is also a development and strategic communication expert, skilled at analyzing complex issues and delivering impactful narratives. Abdulrahman’s reporting reflects extensive newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to informative and insightful journalism.

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